Windy City Homes

Friday, February 12, 2010

Lets face it, when buying your home one of the things you looked for was storage space. We all want it, need it and never have enough of it. As potential buyers walk through your home each bedroom will be viewed and each closet peered into. Full closets, no matter their true size, look small.

Selling your homes means eventually you will need to pack and move everything that's now inside. That includes everything in your closet, the hula shirt from that great party, the members only jacket from high school and that dress that looked wonderful until you got it home. It's the one in the corner with the tags still hanging.

Staging your closets is a great multi tasking opportunity, not only can you help your closet sell your home but you can get a head start on packing for your move, give items to charity (you may be eligible for tax deductions for some items) organize what remains by season or need and toss unusable items. Remember most people wear 20% of thier clothing 80% of the time.

Start by emptying the closet completely, either into piles or prepared boxes and bins. Clean the walls, floors, racks, baseboards, rods, shelves, lights and doors. Patch walls and paint if needed. When painting use a bright neutral color.

When moving things back into your closet make sure it is no more than two-thirds full. No wire hangers, or bulky plastic suit hangers. Plastic hangers in a consistent color work best or wooden hangers for a sophisticated look. Group clothing together by color and all faced the same direction. Do not fill the floor with shoes or other items. Remember its all about having and presenting more space.

Helpful items in reorganizing and staging your closet are wire closet organizers which can be found at home improvement or discount stores, plastic bins for shoes and small items, belt and tie hangers and shoe racks.

Closet space can be an important selling point and should never be ignored. Staging is an essential element in appealing to the potential buyers of your property.